Fishing by casting artificial lures is widespread pastime. The lures come in many shapes, colors and sizes. One or more barbed hooks will be attached to the lure body. Some lures are designed for returning on the surface of the water and others for being submerged.
Snagging the hook of a lure on weeds or other submerged objects has been a longstanding problem. Often, the fisherman is unable to free the lure simply by pulling on the line. In many cases the lure will be lost.
Lures with retractable hooks are known in the patented art. The hooks rotate from an exposed position to a cocked position with the barbs recessed within the body. Some type of bias means urges the hooks toward the exposed position, and a detent device retains the hooks in the cocked position. When the lure is grabbed by a fish, the detent frees the hooks to rotate to the exposed position. Although the various types appear to be workable, improvements are desired.